Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative – A Policy and Organisational Perspective

Abstract

In light of an increasingly digitised and knowledge-based economy, Singapore introduced its Smart Nation
initiative. As a policy initiative guiding Singapore’s digital transformation, the Smart Nation initiative relies on
several policy tools or ‘enablers’ to achieve a range of economic, social, and urban policy goals. This case study
will assess these policy tools and goals, situating them within the context of Singapore’s overall approach to
economic development. More than simply a policy initiative, the Smart Nation initiative has also involved
public administrative reform. In response to inadequate public interest as well as a perceived lack of pace in
Singapore’s digital transformation, a centralised public agency, the Smart Nation and Digital Government
Group, was formed to coordinate cross-government digitisation efforts. Singapore’s ongoing transformation
into a Smart Nation has therefore involved both policy innovation and a reorganization of public
administration processes. However, Singapore also continues to face challenges in its digitisation efforts, such
as insufficient private sector participation or ground-up initiatives.

Introduction

The rapid urbanisation and increasing urban density that Singapore had experienced over the past few
decades gave rise to increasingly complex and intertwined policy issues, such as overcrowding, strains to
public infrastructure, and high costs of housing, among others. These emerging urban policy issues also
resulted more recently in public discontent, as was evident in the decline in vote-share for the ruling People’s
Action Party in the 2011 General Elections.1 Yet at the same time, Singapore’s ongoing shift to a knowledge-
based economy stimulated much interest in the economic possibilities associated with digitisation and big
data.2

It was at the intersection of these two issues – growing urban complexity and economic digitisation – that
Singapore’s transformation into a smart city was first mooted and eventually implemented in the form of the
Smart Nation initiative. More than simply the mobilization and application of advanced digital and info-
communications technology (ICT) to complex urban problems, the Smart Nation initiative also represented a
means through which Singapore could explore potential new areas of growth associated with the new digital

1
Derek Da Cunha, Breakthrough: Roadmap for Singapore’s Political Future (Singapore: Straits Times Press Reference,
2012); Kenneth Paul Tan, “Singapore in 2011: A ‘New Normal’ in Politics?,” Asian Survey 52, no. 1 (February 2012): 220–
26.
2
Kent E. Calder, Singapore: Smart City, Smart State (Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press, 2016); Wee Kwang
Tan, “Big Data: Singapore’s New Economic Resource,” Enterprise Innovation | Asia’s Premier Business and Technology
Publication, November 1, 2016, https://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/article/big-data-singapores-new-economic-
resource-847989586.

This case was written by Asst Prof Woo Jun Jie under the guidance of Dr. Adrian Kuah and Jean Chia, Lee Kuan Yew School
of Public Policy (LKY School), National University of Singapore and has been funded by the LKY School. The case does not
reflect the views of the sponsoring organisation nor is it intended to suggest correct or incorrect handling of the situation
depicted. The case is not intended to serve as a primary source of data and is meant solely for class discussion. This case is
based on publicly available sources.

Copyright © 2017 by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. All rights reserved. This
publication can only be used for teaching purposes.
economy. Furthermore, the Smart Nation initiative also gave rise to shifts in Singapore’s approach to public
administration.

This case study will discuss the policy and public administration implications of the Smart Nation initiative. A
brief overview of the Smart Nation initiative is provided below.

Background: The Smart Nation initiative

Launched in 2014, the Smart Nation initiative aims to “support better living, stronger communities, and create
more opportunities, for all”. 3 This can be further delineated into two parts: improving people’s lives, and
creating new economic opportunities. These two inter-related goals were emphasized in a speech given by
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of the Smart Nation initiative, where he emphasized the goals
of improving citizens’ lives and allowing them to connect with each other through the use of sensors and smart
devices, as well as enhancing economic productivity and exploring new opportunities through such
technology.4

The Smart Nation initiative built on the Singapore government’s earlier efforts to digitise public service
delivery through its ‘e-government’ drive.5 This began with a ‘Civil Service Computerisation Programme’ that
was introduced in the late 1980s, followed by a slew of initiatives in the late 1990s through 2000s, such as the
’IT 2000’ strategic plan, e-Government Action Plans, iGov 2010 initiative, and 2015 eGov Masterplan. 6
However while these earlier e-government initiatives tended to focus on increasing efficiency in public service
delivery, the Smart Nation initiative was much more comprehensive, reflecting a broader ‘digital
transformation’ that aimed to digitise the all aspects of urban life in Singapore, often through collaborations
with non-state actors such as businesses, citizens, and NGOs. 7 Figure 1 provides a broad timeline of
Singapore’s e-government initiatives.

3
Smart Nation Programme Office, “About Smart Nation,” 2016, http://www.smartnation.sg/about-smart-nation.
4
Hsien Loong Lee, “Smart Nation: Better Living, More Opportunities, Stronger Communities” (Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong’s speech at Smart Nation launch, Singapore, November 24, 2014).
5
Chee Wee Tan and Shan L. Pan, “Managing E-Transformation in the Public Sector: An E-Government Study of the
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS),” European Journal of Information Systems 12, no. 4 (December 1, 2003):
269–81, https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000479; Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Milagros Rivera-Sánchez, “E-
Government in a Corporatist, Communitarian Society: The Case of Singapore,” New Media & Society 8, no. 5 (October 1,
2006): 707–30, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444806065661; Calvin M. L. Chan, YiMeng Lau, and Shan L. Pan, “E-
Government Implementation: A Macro Analysis of Singapore’s E-Government Initiatives,” Government Information
Quarterly 25, no. 2 (April 2008): 239–55, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2006.04.011.
6
Christina Soh, Boon Siong Neo, and M. Lynne Markus, “IT2000: A Critical Appraisal of Singapore’s State-Wide Strategic
Planning Process for Information Technology,” The Journal of Strategic Information Systems 2, no. 4 (December 1,
1993): 351–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/0963-8687(93)90011-X; Mahizhnan Arun and Mui Teng Yap, “Singapore : The
Development of an Intelligent Island and Social Dividends of Information Technology,” Urban Studies 37, no. 10
(September 1, 2000): 1749–56, https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980020080371; GovTech Singapore, “eGov
Masterplans,” eGov Masterplans, 2017, http://www.tech.gov.sg/About-Us/Corporate-Publications/eGov-Masterplan.
7
Smart Nation Programme Office, “About Smart Nation”; Kok Fai Loke, “Government to Call for S$2.4b of ICT Tenders
This Year for Smart Nation Projects,” Channel NewsAsia, May 24, 2017,
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/government-to-call-for-s-2-4b-of-ict-tenders-this-year-for-smart-
8879506.

2
Figure 1: Timeline of e-government initiatives

Civil Service Computerisation Programme iGov 2010 Smart Nation Initiative

1980s 2006 2014

1992 2015
IT 2000 Strategic Plan eGov Masterplan

In many instances, these various plans tended to build upon each other, with the introduction of SingPass and
Wireless@SG in the early 2000s facilitating the Smart Nation initiative’s broader efforts at public service
delivery through online platforms. Similarly, iGov 2010 sought to enhance the integration of data, process and
systems for Government agencies while eGov 2015 introduced a stronger focus on collaboration within and
outside Government. 8 There was therefore a sense of continuity across the government’s various eGov
masterplans, with early computerisation efforts focusing on enhancing public service efficiency and
subsequent masterplans seeking to position the government for the digital economy by emphasizing whole-
of-government approaches as well as citizen and business collaboration.9 All these elements could be found
in the Smart Nation initiative, which acted as a successor to all these prior masterplans.

At a more granular level, the Smart Nation initiative focused on five key domains:10

 Transport
 Home and environment
 Business productivity
 Health and enabled ageing
 Public sector service

The initiative also relied on a set of ‘enablers’ to achieve digitization within these five domains:11

 Facilitating smart solutions through test-bedding and research collaborations.

 Nurturing a culture of experimentation and sustaining innovation.
o Data sharing through the open data portal and Smart Nation Platform
o Investments in Research and Development (R&D)
o ‘Living laboratories’ for the development and piloting of technological solutions.
o Growing an industry and start-up ecosystem
o Cyber-security and data privacy
 Building computational capabilities

8
GovTech Singapore, “eGov Masterplans,” eGov Masterplans, 2016, http://www.tech.gov.sg/About-Us/Corporate-
Publications/eGov-Masterplan.
9
GovTech Singapore.
10
Smart Nation Programme Office, “About Smart Nation | Enablers,” Smart Nation Singapore, June 23, 2017,
https://www.smartnation.sg/about-smart-nation/enablers.
11
Smart Nation Programme Office.

3
 o Educational programmes at various levels, including young children, secondary school
students, and working professionals.
o Upgrading programmes such as SkillsFuture.
o A Smart Nation Fellowship Programme that invites experienced data scientists and engineers
to work with the government to develop technological solutions.

In order to implement these initiatives, a Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO) was established. Situated
within the Prime Minister’s Office, the Office was led by Minister-in-Charge Dr Vivian Balahkrishnan. However,
there had since been an administrative re-organisation of the government’s Smart Nation capabilities and
units. The administrative reorganisation would be discussed in a later section.

Policy Options

This section will discuss the various policy options that have emerged as part of the Smart Nation initiative.
This included the policy tools and objectives encapsulated within the initiative, as well as the administrative
reforms that were enacted to implement these tools and achieve their related objectives.

Policy Tools and Objectives

The Smart Nation initiative focused on the two goals of ‘improving people’s lives’ and ‘creating new economic
opportunities’. These two goals can further be delineated into three policy objectives: driving economic
development, addressing urban or municipal issues, and community building. Aside from creating economic
opportunities and addressing urban issues, the initiative also emphasized the co-creation of solutions with
citizens and fostering stronger communities through new digital platforms of communication and
interaction.12

The various ‘enablers’ could then be seen as the policy measures or tools that were implemented in pursuit
of these goals. Table 1 provides a summary of these policy tools and objectives that were associated with the
Smart Nation initiative, along with selected examples of some tools. While this list is by no means exhaustive,
it provides a broad overview of the Smart Nation initiative’s policy tools and objectives.

Table 1: Policy tools and objectives for Smart Nation initiative

Policy Tools Policy Objectives Lead Agency
Test-bedding and Trials Economic Development; Urban Redevelopment Authority
e.g. Jurong Lake District, A*STAR self- Municipal (URA), Agency for Science
driving vehicle road tests Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Open Data and Smart Nation Platforms Economic Development; SNPO
Community Building;
Municipal
Investments in R&D Economic Development NRF

12
Smart Nation Programme Office, “About Smart Nation”; Smart Nation Programme Office, “About Smart Nation |
Enablers.”

4
 e.g. National Research Foundation
(NRF) investments in Artificial
Intelligence, under AI.SG.
Laboratories Economic Development Universities and Research
e.g. SMRT-NTU Smart Urban Rail Institutions
Corporate Laboratory
Start-up accelerators Economic Development SPRING Singapore
e.g. Co-funding start-up accelerators
through SPRING Seeds Capital
Increased cyber-security Economic Development; Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
e.g. Cyber Security Agency of Singapore Municipal (CSA)
Regulatory reforms Economic Development Monetary Authority of Singapore
e.g. FinTech Regulatory Sandbox (MAS)
Talent and capacity-building Economic Development SkillsFuture Singapore
e.g. ICT skills-training through
SkillsFuture scheme

As Table 1 shows, the Smart Nation initiative placed a strong premium on goals of economic development. As
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted in a speech, the advanced data and IT technologies that might emerge
from the Smart Nation initiative could contribute to greater economic productivity and generate new business
opportunities.13 This was in line with Singapore’s existing ‘developmental state’ approach to industrial policy
and economic governance, which emphasized sectoral targeting and identifying future areas of growth.14 In
this instance, the Smart Nation initiative focused on the digital economy, as well as its relevant components,
such as big data, as a key area of growth.

Furthermore, many of these tools involved diverting state resources towards building up Smart Nation
capabilities. These included investments in R&D through agencies such as the National Research Foundation
or co-funding start-up accelerators through SPRING Singapore’s investment arm, SPRING Seeds Singapore. In
other instances, policy tools have involved joint efforts, such as the SMRT-NTU Urban Rail Corporate
Laboratory or the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s FinTech Regulatory Sandbox. For the Smart Nation
initiative, joint laboratories between state agencies and universities or corporate entities have become an
important means through which policymakers can foster technological innovations. Lastly, efforts to establish
Smart Nation capabilities in the citizenry such as ICT skills-training through SkillsFuture courses encourage the
formation of more IT professionals and data specialists.

Aside from economic development however, the initiative also focused on resolving urban-municipal issues
as well as community development. Indeed, of the five key domains, three were focused on urban issues
(transport, home and environment, health and enabled ageing). Policy innovations and initiatives that focused

13
Hsien Loong Lee, “Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong” (Smart Nation Launch, Singapore, November 26, 2014),
http://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/transcript-prime-minister-lee-hsien-loongs-speech-smart-nation-launch-24-
november.
14
W.G. Huff, “The Developmental State, Government, and Singapore’s Economic Development since 1960,” World
Development 23, no. 8 (August 1995): 1421–38; Linda Low, “The Singapore Developmental State in the New Economy
and Polity,” The Pacific Review 14, no. 3 (January 1, 2001): 411–41; Martin Perry, Lily Kong, and Brenda Yeoh,
Singapore: A Developmental City State (Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 1997).

5
on these three key domains had been piloted and test-bedded in districts such as Punggol Northshore district,
Yuhua, as well as Jurong Lake District.15 In all instances, smart technologies were introduced into homes and
neighbourhoods, with the aim of enhancing citizens’ everyday lives, as well as addressing municipal issues
such as neighbourhood cleanliness, security, and transport, among others.

At the national level, urban-centric initiatives included an OneService app that allowed citizens to report
municipal issues, as well as various pilot projects exploring new modes of public transit.16 The OneService app
represented a need to consolidate the capabilities and resources of different municipal organisations. Prior to
the introduction of the app, municipal issues were addressed by various public agencies, such as National
Parks, the Land Transport Authority, Housing Development Board, etc. As we will discuss below, the
emergence of such centralised policy feedback mechanisms suggests a need to address the risks of policy
fragmentation, especially in the realm of public service digitisation.

Regarding community development, Prime Minister Lee noted that the Smart Nation initiative could foster
the development of stronger and more closely-knit communities, “where technology will enable more people
to connect to one another more easily and intensely”.17 The Smart Nation initiative’s fifth key domain of public
sector service was also related to such goals of community development, particularly in terms of fostering
greater social capital and state-societal relations.

As Table 1 also shows, different policy tools facilitated the achievement of different policy objectives. For
instance, investments in R&D encouraged technological and business innovations, hence contributing to
economic development. In some cases, a single policy tool could be formulated to attain multiple objectives.
For instance, the Open Data and Smart Nation platforms encouraged greater interaction and co-creation
among public, private, and societal actors. In this case, the platforms contributed towards economic
development (by encouraging business collaborations), urban-municipal issues (by facilitating the co-creation
of urban solutions), and community development (by fostering greater interactions among various
stakeholders and participants).

In short, the Smart Nation initiative comprised a set of policy tools and objectives that contributed to
Singapore’s economic and social development. Aside from this tri-factor policy focus on economic
development, urban-municipal issues, and community development however, the Smart Nation initiative also
involved significant administrative re-organisation. These public administration reforms are discussed next.

15
Irene Tham, “Jurong Lake District to Be Test Bed for ‘Smart Nation,’” Straits Times, June 18, 2014,
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/jurong-lake-district-be-test-bed-smart-nation; Cherie Thio, “A Smart District,
a Leisure Destination,” Skyline, 2014, http://www.ura.gov.sg/skyline/skyline14/skyline14-02/article-03.html; Housing
and Development Board, “Yuhua the First Existing HDB Estate to Go Smart | HDB InfoWEB,” HDB InfoWEB, July 28,
2015, http://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/press-release/yuhua-the-first-existing-hdb-estate-to-go-smart; Channel
NewsAsia, “HDB to Explore Use of Smart Planning Tools for More Towns and Estates,” Channel NewsAsia, December
27, 2015, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/hdb-to-explore-use-of/2354866.html.
16
Ministry of National Development, “OneService Mobile App – Making It Easier For You To Report Municipal Issues |
Municipal Services Office,” Ministry of National Development Website, January 25, 2015,
http://www.mnd.gov.sg/mso/press-oneservice.htm; Smart Nation Programme Office, “Mobility-on-Demand: Real-Time
Demand-Driven Transport through Apps,” 2017, http://www.smartnation.sg/initiatives/Mobility/mobility-on-demand--
real-time-demand-driven-transport-through-apps; Smart Nation Programme Office, “Self-Driving Vehicles (SDVs):
Future of Mobility in Singapore,” 2017, http://www.smartnation.sg/initiatives/Mobility/self-driving-vehicles-sdvs--
future-of-mobility-in-singapore.
17
Lee, “Smart Nation: Better Living, More Opportunities, Stronger Communities.”

6
Public Administration Reform

Despite the successful implementation of the initiative and its suite of policy tools and objectives, Prime
Minister Lee noted that Smart Nation initiative was not progressing as rapidly as the government had
expected,18 with insufficient private sector participation identified as a major shortcoming.19 Furthermore,
and as Table 1 above shows, the implementation of the various Smart Nation policy initiatives often involved
multiple public agencies, with different agencies taking on a leading role in different initiatives. This often led
to administrative overlaps. In order to prevent further fragmentation of Singapore’s digitisation efforts, the
Singapore government sought to re-organise and consolidate the various public agencies and units that were
involved in formulating and implementing the Smart Nation initiative. What had emerged was a centralised
agency, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG), established in May 2017.

Established under the Prime Minister’s Office, the SNDGG was an umbrella institution that housed the various
units and agencies involved in the Smart Nation initiative.20 These included the newly formed Smart Nation
and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) and Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech). While
SNDGO was essentially tasked with formulating the various Smart Nation policy initiatives, GovTech
implemented these initiatives. The SNDGO consolidated staff from the Smart Nation Programme Office, the
Ministry of Finance’s Digital Government Directorate, and the Ministry of Communications and Information’s
Government Technology Policy department.21

A pictorial representation of the SNDGG and its component institutions is provided in Figure 2 below.

18
Hsien Loong Lee, “Dialogue at Camp Sequoia” (Camp Sequoia, Singapore, February 26, 2017),
http://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/dialogue-pm-lee-hsien-loong-camp-sequoia; Terence Lee, “Brief: Singapore Admits
Smart Nation Moving Too Slowly,” Tech in Asia, April 15, 2017, https://www.techinasia.com/singapore-admits-smart-
nation-moving-slowly.
19
Peter Ho, “Imagining Endless Possible Futures,” TODAY, April 19, 2017,
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/imagining-endless-possible-futures; Weizhen Tan, “The Big Read: Speed
Bumps Hinder Singapore’s Smart Nation Drive,” TODAYonline, April 14, 2017, http://m.todayonline.com/singapore/big-
read-speed-bumps-hinder-singapores-smart-nation-drive; Weizhen Tan, “A Mixed Report Card for Smart Nation
Initiatives,” TODAYonline, April 14, 2017, http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/big-read-mixed-report-card-
singapores-smart-nation-drive.
20
Joanna Seow, “Boost for Smart Nation Push with Agencies under One Roof,” March 25, 2017,
http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/boost-for-smart-nation-push-with-agencies-under-one-roof.
21
Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, “Formation of The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group in the Prime
Minister’s Office,” Press Release (Singapore: Prime Minister’s Office Singapore, March 20, 2017),
http://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/formation-smart-nation-and-digital-government-group-prime-
minister%E2%80%99s-office.

7
Figure 2: Organisation Structure of Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG)

Adapted from Prime Minister’s Office website.22

More importantly, the formation of the SNDGG represented efforts at centralising and consolidating the
government’s Smart Nation units and capabilities. This mirrored other recent administrative re-organisations,
such as the establishment of the Municipal Services Office (MSO) or the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
(CSA). Both MSO and CSA were national-level centralised agencies tasked with coordinating the activities of
the various other public agencies in their respective policy domains, as well as harmonising policy formulation
and implementation processes across these agencies. In coordinating the activities of these other agencies
however, there was also a strong element of inter-agency cooperation.

Even as the SNDGG operated as the central governing body for Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, it did so in
cooperation with other public agencies and government bodies. A good example of this could be found in the
Monetary Authority of Singapore’s efforts to transform Singapore into a ‘smart financial centre’, through
policy tools such as the FinTech regulatory sandbox, which were often designed and implemented in
conjunction with the SNDGG and other relevant agencies.23 The Smart Nation initiative, in short, involved
extensive policy collaboration between Singapore’s various public agencies and policy units. Under the
direction of the SNDGG and through digital means of collaboration such as the Open Data and Smart Nation

22
Prime Minister’s Office Singapore.
23
Ravi Menon, “A Smart Financial Centre” (Global Technology Law Conference 2015, Singapore, June 29, 2015),
http://www.mas.gov.sg/news-and-publications/speeches-and-monetary-policy-statements/speeches/2015/a-smart-
financial-centre.aspx; Monetary Authority of Singapore, “MAS FinTech Regulatory Sandbox,” MAS Website, November
26, 2016, http://www.mas.gov.sg/Singapore-Financial-Centre/Smart-Financial-Centre/FinTech-Regulatory-
Sandbox.aspx; Julien de Salaberry, “The Case for a HealthTech Regulatory Sandbox in Singapore – Galen Growth Asia,”
Galen Growth Asia (blog), February 13, 2017, https://www.galengrowth.asia/2017/02/13/the-case-for-a-healthtech-
regulatory-sandbox-in-singapore/.

8
platforms, the Smart Nation initiative fostered, and in turn relied on, the close ‘policy relations’ that had
formed among Singapore’s public policy institutions.24

Ongoing Challenges

Despite these efforts to reorganise and streamline the government’s digitisation efforts, analysts have
identified limitations and shortcomings in the Smart Nation initiative. For instance, it had been noted that the
initiative was unable to capture public imagination and lacked a clear success story. 25 Ironically, the
government’s efforts at centralising its digitisation drive may have further entrenched the state’s role in
driving the digital sector, in the process crowding out private sector opportunities.26

Indeed, it had often been noted that the success of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative continues to hinge on
the government’s ability to encourage user-driven innovations, especially through progressive and flexible
regulations. 27 The formation of the SNDGG therefore had given rise to fundamental trade-offs between
centralised government direction and the need for user-driven innovation. While administrative centralisation
had given rise to policy efficiency, it also posed new challenges for private sector participation in the Smart
Nation initiative.

Conclusion

This case study has provided an overview of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, focusing on both policy and
public administration aspects of the initiative. Like many other smart cities, the Smart Nation initiative was
established to, on the one hand, address the growing complexity that had accompanied rapid urbanisation
and, on the other, explore the economic opportunities that might arise from Singapore’s increasingly digitised
and knowledge-based economy. However, this case study also identified an additional policy objective in the
initiative, that of community building.

In order to address these three policy objectives – economic development, addressing urban issues, and
community building – the Smart Nation initiative also encapsulated a set of ‘enablers’. The discussion above
has taken a policy-oriented approach to understanding the Smart Nation initiative, by framing these ‘enablers’
as policy tools and identifying the three major policy objectives. More importantly, the case study sought to
address the linkages between tools and objectives. This framework of policy tools and objectives draws from
the ‘policy design’ approach, which has conceptualised the policy process as a matter of finding the right policy

24
J.J. Woo, “Policy Relations and Policy Subsystems: Financial Policy in Hong Kong and Singapore,” International Journal
of Public Administration 38, no. 8 (2015): 553–61; J.J. Woo, Business and Politics in Asia’s Key Financial Centres - Hong
Kong, Singapore and Shanghai, 1st ed. (Singapore: Springer, 2016).
25
Kevin Kwang, “Commentary: Singapore’s Smart Nation Vision Blurry without a Success Story,” Channel NewsAsia,
August 15, 2017, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/commentary-singapore-s-smart-nation-vision-
blurry-without-a-9122400.
26
Tan, “The Big Read.”
27
Kevin Kwang, “‘Users Need to Be in Driving Seat’ of Smart Nation Initiatives: IMEC CTO,” Channel NewsAsia,
September 6, 2017, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/users-need-to-be-in-driving-seat-of-smart-
nation-initiatives-9190592.

9
‘tools’ in order to attain a desired set of policy objectives.28 This ‘tool-based’ design approach can therefore
provide policymakers with a systematic way of differentiating between policy means and ends.
Aside from policy design, the Smart Nation initiative also gave rise to a spate of administrative reorganisations.
As the case study discussed above, these included the formation of the SNDGG as the centralised public agency
overseeing the initiative. Comprising institutions and personnel from a variety of public agencies and units
that were previously involved, to varying extents, in Singapore’s digital transformation, the SNDGG
represented a growing trend towards administrative centralisation and centralised coordination of policy
activities, especially in light of growing urban complexity. However, the Smart Nation initiative also continues
to face challenges. The resolution of these challenges remain works in progress.

Proposed Discussion Questions

1. How did the Smart Nation initiative differ from earlier efforts to digitise government operations and
processes?
2. What were the opportunities, issues and difficulties of formulating a coherent Smart Nation initiative for
Singapore? What prompted the creation of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group?
3. Are there trade-offs to centralising and consolidating Singapore’s Smart Nation capabilities for policy-
making and implementation under Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and GovTech? Do such
efforts contradict ongoing trends of decentralisation and privatisation?
4. How would the implementation and regulation of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives be affected by the
reorganisation?

28
Michael Howlett, Mukherjee Ishani, and Jun Jie Woo. “From Tools to Toolkits in Policy Design Studies: The New
Design Orientation and Policy Formulation Research.” Policy and Politics 43, no. 2 (April 30, 2015): 291–311; Michael
Howlett, M. Ramesh, and Anthony Perl. Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems. 3rd ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2009; Michael Howlett. Designing Public Policies: Principles and Instruments. 1st ed. London:
Routledge, 2011.

10
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